


And the Potential of More to Come

by zarabithia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:28:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22064773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarabithia/pseuds/zarabithia
Summary: The day after Palpatine's death, the galaxy is in celebration, but Anakin is not.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker/Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 11
Kudos: 182





	And the Potential of More to Come

The day after Palpatine's death, the galaxy is in celebration, but Anakin is not. 

Ahsoka watches him sitting by the bonfire on a planet that had all of the lovely freezing charm of Hoth, without the snow, and wonders if she should let him have some time alone. 

But if there is one thing that she has been terrible at during this war, it is leaving Anakin alone. 

"You might as well go sit with him," Rex huffs at her. "Be better than you worrying over him while the rest of us are trying to celebrate." 

Caleb, who is more than a little drunk, laughs at Rex's comment as he throws an arm over his favorite pilot's shoulders. "That's right, Ahsoka. It's a time for _celebration_!"

She rolls her eyes and leaves all three of them to "celebrate" however they please. 

"Hey, Skyguy," she says, sitting down next to Anakin. 

He lifts his head in greeting, no longer staring at the fire in front of him. "I thought you were going to go party with the men and Hera." 

"You looked like you could use a friend, instead," Ahsoka answers. "And like I told you at the start of this thing - "

"You aren't leaving again." Anakin smiles faintly, and leans back on his elbows to look up at her. "Did you know you are the first person who hasn't congratulated me on killing Palpatine?" 

Obi-Wan wouldn't have, either, but Obi-Wan is clear across the galaxy. "I couldn't have. It might have been necessary, but once the two of you were ... close. It had to be painful." 

Anakin shakes his head. "I just keep thinking about all of the people who died because of him. What if I had figured it out earlier? Would they still be alive? Would my mother - " 

He stops and closes his eyes. Ahsoka moves closer and wraps her arms around his shoulders. She knows he isn't just thinking about his mother, but about a confession only she and Padme have ever heard. 

"But he's gone," Ahsoka says firmly. "And he's never coming back. We can't bring back the people he's responsible for killing, but we can make sure they didn't die in vain by _rebuilding_ what Palpatine destroyed. The Republic, democracy..." 

"Our lives?" Anakin asks, and it becomes clear then that he is so close. 

It's clear because she knows he must be thinking of the marriage that didn't survive a second war, and of the twins who barely know the famous general that is their father. 

It's clear because not for the first time, she wants to kiss him. 

"Yes," she says, quietly, and the fire roars in her ears obnoxiously loud, drowning out all but the pressing desire to tell him that she _still_ isn't going anywhere. 

At least, until he kisses her. Then the fire and all the rest of the planet is so silent that it might as well not exist, because for Ahsoka, all that matters in that moment is the fulfillment of an old promise and the potential of more to come.


End file.
